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| This is an abbreviated list of resources I've discovered in my teaching of symbols as visual literacy for designers. Symbolism focuses on the most fundamental aspects of how we interpret our place in the universe, and the links are interdisciplinary and often in-depth in nature. |
Symbols Straight Up
Symbols.comAn extensive, easy to use encyclopedia of graphic signs and ideograms that includes a brief synopsis of meanings and a short history of each image. Search by word or graphical attributes.
Byzant.com Leans towards religion-specific symbols. Quotes of important observations on the nature of existence (located in the 'biography' menu section).
Symbols.net A data base of hundreds of sites mostly pertaining to symbols, but other topics are also included.
Symbolism.org A forum for exploration of symbolism in contemporary/popular culture. Oriented towards media literacy.
Symbolism Project A simple, quick way to look up culturally-flavored symbols and their meanings. Compact but informative.
Symbol of Number / Sacred Geometry
Golden Mean Gauge An informative overview of the golden mean—the proportions of beauty embedded in everything human from beautiful face and body proportion, to the joint lengths of our fingers, to a galactic spiral. An esoteric and ancient teaching, it is universally recognized as the universe’s ‘divine proportion’.
Constructing the Universe A good content resource by mathematician Michael Schneider that delves into the symbol of number as it relates to universal principle. His books and lesson plans are in depth and educational to understanding and applying the symbol of number to everyday existence.
Geomancy.org A fascinating study that explores the interaction of energy between the subtle world and the physical world.
Psychology
Jung Online Abstracts of Carl Jung's collected works.
Anthony Stevens, PhD In his book "Ariadne's Clue" Stevens combines semiotics and Jungian psychology, and offers a psychobiological perspective that views the mind’s responsiveness to archetypal symbols as a proactive, adaptive process absolutely crucial to human survival.
Semiotics (learning to interpret the language of nature)
Semiotics for Beginners Semiotics for Beginners, by Daniel Chandler, is presented on this site. He explores the philosophy of how human beings make meaning of marks and signs.
Science and Complexity/Chaos Theory (the process of order-becoming, fundamental to understanding the construction and connectivity of symbols at the micro to macro levels)
Fractal Foundation The education of culture—math, art, science, and nature, through the understanding of the principles of chaos theory. A good site for educators and creative people. Freeware programs to create your own fractals for Mac or PC.
Exploratorium A museum of science, art, and human perception, specifically tagged for its online Microscope Imaging Station. Seeing 3 dimensional structure at its essence.
Anthropology (the cultural and physical roots of who we are and how we communicate)
Becoming Human An intelligent interactive documentary experience that tells the story of our human origins. Several well designed lesson plans. An excellent site for educators.
Etymology (the roots of letters and words)
Phoenician Alphabet The symbols underlying our alphabet.
Esoteric/Miscellaneous
School of Wisdom Excellent philosophical/scientific/psychological resource for the thought process behind symbolism from interdisciplinary approaches.
Seven Stages of Creativity A model of creativity progression which may or may not fit your process.
Symbolism of the Mandala
Mandala Project Teachings for adults and school kids about the intention and creation and mandalas.
Color Theory and Application
Color Matters This website provides some starting points for an exploration of color and resources to find more information about color.
Color Systems A library of easy-to-understand and richly illustrated color theories from Antiquity to modern times. Includes Isaac Newton’s Theory of Color, articles on color in the arts, sciences, cultural systems and a virtual color space.
Causes of Color An extensive exploration of why things are colored and explanations how animals and insects see color.
The Tech (Museum of Innovation) Answers questions about why we see colors as we do. It covers the description of color, the role light plays in color and how our eyes perceive color.
Color Therapy Extensive graphics, color meditation and color symbolism.
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